Pride and Mandeville

According to Thomas Horne, the French moralists of the 1600s thought that pride and high self-esteem were valuable. They were correct.

Bernard Mandeville was a moralist influenced by the French tradition. He was psychological egoist and yet he came down hard on vanity and self-destructive pride. Does this make him a closet altruist?

No Mandevilles exposure of self-deception and self-delusion caused by inflated pride are consistent with egoism of all kinds.

I would argue that self-deluding altruists suffer what I will label false pride, a self-deluding pride, the producer of person groupist hubris.

Positive and true pride accompanies self-love that is wholesome. Their pride is based on feelings of worth and confidence and actual ability and feelings of accomplishment. These proud people remain realistic, humble, cautios and prudent.